The present invention relates to digital media and more particularly, in certain embodiments, to systems and methods for presenting digital media to a user.
Improvements in processor speed, digital storage capacity, and network bandwidth have enabled remarkable advances in the consumer audio and video experience. User control over video experience has been enhanced by personal video recorders that exploit digital storage advances to cache large amounts of video programming for later viewing. Conventional terrestrial and CATV programming delivery choices have been supplemented with digital video content broadcast via cable or satellite as well as high definition satellite and terrestrial broadcasts with high definition cable services being under serious discussion.
The user audio experience has also been transformed. The shift from the traditional phonograph media to compact discs (CDs) in combination with the subsequent wide-scale distribution of personal computers with built-in read/write CD players allowed audiophiles to create their own “favorites” CDs for personal use. More recently, the advent of portable MP3 players allows users to carry their favorite songs anywhere they are. Distribution of music over the Internet has also advanced although certain forms of distribution have proven controversial due to concerns over copyrights.
Another traditional form of audio content distribution is radio. Even with the advent of more advanced audio content distribution technologies, radio continues to be popular. For music listeners, radio offers an element of serendipity in that even if the station selection is indicative of a music type preference, the sequence of songs played will be a surprise and new songs will sometimes be heard for the first time. For those interested in news, sports, and other programming the radio offers frequent updates, potentially interspersed with other types of contents such as music, and easy multitasking with other activities not possible with newspapers and web news sources.
The above-mentioned technological advances have been applied to radio to a certain extent. Digital radio broadcasts are available via the Internet and satellite. Standards have also emerged for digital AM, FM, and shortwave broadcasts. These developments have increased audio fidelity and expanded the number of available stations. However, the full potential of current processing, networking, and digital storage technologies remains unrealized. Users cannot customize radio content to the extent that they can rearrange their stored music content. A broad spectrum of pre-programmed radio content is now broadcast over the Internet but an important part of the appeal of radio is its availability in settings other than adjacent to a broadband internet connection, e.g., in the car, while exercising, etc.
Current Internet broadcasting technologies are also deficient in other respects in comparison to traditional radio. When tuning a conventional radio, one expects immediate access to any selected station whether it be by turning a tuning knob or pushing a preselect button. The listener can almost instantaneously assess his interest in the selected station and either continue listening or move on to another station. In this way, the listener can rapidly assess a large number of audio listening choices. The Internet cannot yet provide this user experience. When the user selects an Internet radio station, he must wait while his computer connects and buffers audio material from the station. This delay, although not necessarily very long, is sufficient to slow user selection among stations and detract from the user experience.
What is needed are systems and methods for combining the customization and broad range of choices associated with digital media with the immediacy, ubiquity and continually refreshed content of radio.